Everyone has a story, and every story has the power to inspire greatness, teach fundamental lessons, and show us the way. On a frigid snow buried February evening, David Flink divulged his story and a great deal of essential insight that forevermore changed my knowledge of myself and potential. His quirky personality first introduced himself to me before anything else did; he was “one of my people” and he got me. A renowned advocate of learning differences and cofounder of “Eye to Eye” -a mentoring program for students with learning disabilities and attention issues, David Flink impacts the world and others’ lives in immeasurable ways that makes all the difference. Tonight he was the keynote speaker and I discovered that at age nine, we both were diagnosed with severe dyslexia and other learning differences. We both received special education services and accommodations, yet still went through much of school feeling helpless, hopeless, lost, lonely and inadequate. Warmly shaking my hand, a conversation struck up in the lobby and he eagerly asked me about my experiences and impressions at Landmark- a highly specialized school for dyslexic students that I had attended for three years. Although separated by a generation, our experiences and perceptions marched in uncanny unison.
“Dejeu, Thanks for Thinking Differently with me. ~David Flink,” is how he signed his recently published book before handing me a copy. “Keep thinking differently and I know you will go far and achieve what you need,” he added before leaving.
In many ways he successfully represents contradiction: well spoken, yet bouncing on and off topics; easily distracted, yet tightly holding an audience’s attention; a distinguished professional role, yet wearing jeans and almost tucked in shirt with highly colorful loafers. He successfully turns the concept of a “disability” into a “difference” by focusing on the importance of discovering strengths, being true to yourself, and figuring out how to learn and act most effectively through accommodations, advocacy, and allies. What all this meant for me was not to get stuck, like being held down in mud and restrained in chains, by the system’s conventional prescribed ways, but rather be aware and resourceful- to take it and make it work for me. It was intuitive that I trusted him and knew he accepted me, but most importantly he shared his story that impacted my self-awareness and direction around the keystone of thinking differently. Thinking differently is essential in the pursuing of my life interests, gaining my independence, and achieving my academic and well-being potential.
“Christian whatcha doin?” “Christian can you go to blank…?” “Christian want to blank…?” various friends and peers questioned.
While my answer to them was inevitably “school” or some version of schoolwork; there was no time for pursuing my life interests. Evidently, attending a typical system of school resulted in me working on only schoolwork year round and what seemed like at all times. The figures that summed up my life were: attending the school day, working after school hours with tutors, and then struggling through with any unscheduled school time to complete school work and remediation practice on my own and with my family. Living in darkness, never in the light of day doing what I wanted, I was contained mostly in a dismal institutional schoolroom, labeled “resource room,” with a hard chair and dirty desk. Overall, both figuratively and literally, a “smelly” environment that was the underbelly of a claimed “great school” in our fabulous suburban town. My relationships were narrow, lacking warmth and humanness, and fixedly centered on school and school requirements. Endless schoolwork seemed both out of reach for real achievement and too dumbed down for any development. Yep, I felt despair and hopelessness; not much to look forward to when you are overwhelmed by work and contained in a system that was not working for me. I needed a solution, to think differently about what was really needed and what would really work.
Since completing schoolwork, especially required reading and writing assignments takes me an immense amount of time due to my dyslexia and learning differences, I needed tighter command of my time through time management. I learn differently than the prescribed conventional school environment dictates would allow. Thinking differently about what I needed to do in order to manage my time to succeed in school resulted in first enrolling at Landmark School, a specialized school, that could dedicate the time needed to develop the skills and strategies I needed to read and write. And then enrolling in International Academy, a private virtual school that could enable an individualized learning environment, as well as, ability to block together and pace my classes and assignments, in addition to, having access to all my school material on demand. This personalized blocking, pacing, and access allows me to manage the required work in each class to fit the time I need to learn and show what I know, rather than struggling, and often failing, to fit my learning and time into a conventional prescribed school schedule. I am aware that I need more time with school demands and by thinking outside the box-literally outside the brick and mortar box of my previous school and I found International Academy, a private virtual school, could provide me with personal command over my time management and flexibility in meeting school requirements. The result is that my life is more than just completing required school work; rather I smell the physical competition while competing on a soccer team; react and cause reaction with my whistle while holding a soccer referee job; absorb the quiet timeless balance and controlled force while practicing at my karate dojo; and laugh it up with friends during late-night deadlines and battling pressing and editing details while serving as a co-webmaster for the iGlobe, International Academy’s student run newspaper. The International Academy’s and my different thinking on school’s structure and function gets the job done and done right. Specifically, International Academy provides the solution to balancing and managing my schoolwork time effectively and efficiently to fit my needs. Now I am working smarter and not harder. The result is I am achieving in school and participating in my life interests. I am living like a real person. Rather than being consumed by the misguided and wrong “student prescription” and one that often felt like making a NFL quarterback into a Swan Lake ballerina…it is just not meant to be or the right fit or role. This thinking differently that the International Academy helps to accommodate my need to time manage and enables me to advocate to balance school and life interests, and provides me with allies that demonstrate they support my achievement and well-being.
Beyond the general school structure, thinking differently also led me to taming a “dragon.” Believe it or not, this taming resulted in me gaining greater independence. Before the Dragon, I was leashed to others for much of my grade-level reading and writing, however, by thinking differently about how I could take ownership for my reading and writing found me my Dragon. The problem was my dependence on others to read and dictate my work. The solution was advocating for and gaining the accommodation for voice-to-text and text-to-voice software called Dragon. Dragon is specialized software, a different way to read and write, that could be used with my schoolwork materials. The powerful voice of my Dragon reads text for me, as well as, captures my words in writing. Using and developing my skills with this type of technology-“taming Dragon” provides me with greater independence and autonomy. I am now working smarter and more independently, an Eragon of sorts, learning and developing my Dragon’s magic. The result is I am now achieving in school and developing skills I will need in the real world to succeed. Further, by gaining more independence with my learning, it gives me the time when I work with a teacher, mentor, learning coach, or tutor to focus my efforts on developing my understanding and proficiency on the lesson materials and ideas rather than only completing the lesson work. Reaching beyond where I am and shining like a star; my Dragon bestows liberating freedom and independence.
Looking back on my school journey is a progression towards achieving my academic and well-being potential and made possible by thinking differently. A progression beginning in the dark, often torturous education underbelly, I was being bounced around and dumbed down in public school’s special educational services, which led to a world like no other located in a repurposed mansion estate on a sea cliff called the Landmark School for dyslexic students. Here the bright clear skies and strong crashing waves against the granite sea stones fortifies and develops a capable student, as much as, the kind, dedicated, and skilled teachers and tutors. None of the students show up at Landmark by accident, there is a purpose, a shared purpose by all, to find the way to succeed. It is the “chemo” needed infused with the “boot camp” rigor in reading and writing, delivered to make us capable to leave and learn at our high potential out in the real world. Landmark School is like a dyslexic utopia fish bowl; it fed me what I needed and kept me safe, yet separate from the real world. And the treatment worked, after an extraordinary three years I was set to go out into the real world and found my place in International Academy with typical peers and rigorous curriculum where I am achieving my academic and well-being potential. I am now working smarter and showing what I know and can do. Reflecting on my school journey accentuates how I am not restricted to being molded into a “standardized student,” which I never was meant or cut out to be... rather I am a student thinking differently along the way. I am a student with greater options available to my life that are more true to my potential and who I am.
By thinking differently about my education my academic and well-being is not limited. Rather, I have opportunities and real options, such as earning my college degree in my future. I know how I learn best and I am aware of the power of accommodations, advocacy, and allies in supporting my life in becoming and sustaining the very best it can be. Thinking differently goes hand in hand with my resourcefulness, a way of surviving and surviving well. In fact, I relate closely to the reality TV show Survivor- “outlast, outwit, and outplay” toward attaining, not the million dollars in my scenario, but rather, the all-important life gate keeper- the educational degree.
Sometimes I wonder what things would be like if I hadn’t met David Flink. He changed and nourished the knowledge of myself. He anchored my belief in thinking differently and provided impactful insight of its effectiveness in his story and achievements. Presently, Mr. Mistretta, one of the best teachers I have ever had, and currently an advisor for iGlobe, wisely stands as one of the best examples of an ally and advocate in my life.
“Think outside the box.” he chides in every class.
“As humans we tend to make things so much harder than they need to be.” he adds thoughtfully.
Not only a great math teacher who challenged me and made me laugh at how I think differently, but most importantly he nourished my belief through his encouragement, support, and understanding - he gets my type of people. Most significantly, he saw and enabled me to see the contributions I could make with the iGlobe. Ironically, this “word blind” dyslexic student has a fiery interest in being part of our school run newspaper. Who, but Mr. Mistretta would encourage and have me willfully contribute more reading and writing to my school experience. The iGlobe is one of the best parts of school for me and being selected as the co-webmaster this year resulted in sharing my thinking differently as to how our web site was designed and functioned. The outcome has been my role in constructing and the launching of an improved, cleaner, more attractive and more functional iGlobe website. This is Mr. Mistretta’s thinking outside the box mantra in action and deeds; he invested the time to build an impactful mentorship and collaboration that has made all the difference. Ultimately, thinking differently is essential to the real me, revealing a future attainment of a happy, fulfilling life that is truly impactful on others. What’s your story…what’s your take on thinking differently?
